WesFest

WesFest is a tribute concert held annually in Hollywood in honor ofthe musical legacy of Wes Wehmiller '92, an accomplished bassist, athlete, and photographer. WesFest 8 was held at the Roxy in Hollywood on Sunday, March 3, 2013. The annual concert is a celebration of Wes's life and legacy, and a fundraiser for the prestigious Wes Wehmiller scholarship, which is awarded annually to the Berklee electric bass student that best carries on Wes's talent, generosity, and verve.

Click here to make a contribution to the scholarship and to become part of the spirited WesFest community, which gives forward in the way that Wes so generously gave and still gives to us.

Wes, who won a scholarship to attend Berklee, found a mentor in bassist/Berklee professor Danny Morris, who became a close colleague and friend. In 1993, Wes moved to the west coast where he collaborated with a vibrant Los Angeles community of Berklee alumni. From 1997 through 2001, Wes toured worldwide with the multi-platinum pop band Duran Duran, and appeared on many TV shows with them as well, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Today Show, VH-1's Storytellers and Hard Rock Live. Wes also performed with Missing Persons, avant-garde solo artist Mike Keneally, and several other L.A. based bands, and his work appears on numerous recordings produced in the L.A. area and in Vancouver. At weswehmiller.net you can learn about Wes, and the people he touched. This site is packed with music, videos, photography by and of Wes, and much more.

Guitarist/keyboardist Mike Keneally, the headliner from the very first WesFest concert (and a participant in nearly every show since), says, “It's extremely gratifying to see how WesFest has not only continued but flourished, both as a support system for new musicians on the scene and as a way to keep Wes Wehmiller's name and presence alive.” Keneally adds, “I'm forever grateful to the Fest for the way it spurs those of us who loved Wes to refocus our remembrance and appreciation of him, year after year. Long live Wes, and long live WesFest!”

Peter Gordon, director of the Berklee Center in Los Angeles, has this to say about WesFest: “It’s a real statement that...WesFest’s reach continues to expand, and the impact continues to be felt ever more strongly in the Los Angeles community as well as in the Berklee student body in Boston. This event, and the energy surrounding it, is making a real difference.”

A unique aspect of the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship is that each year the new scholarship recipient travels with Danny Morris to Los Angeles to perform at WesFest and, on the evening of the awards ceremony in March, performs with Berklee bass professor Danny Morris at Danny Mo's Family Reunion. "These shows celebrate the life, the love, and the groove of Wes Wehmiller," Morris says.